New to Keto? - Look Here First *Frequently Asked Questions*

[alywbwfc]

Would it still work to do lots of varied cardio for depletion workout or does it need to be weight training?

I was thinking hill cycling, incline jogging, rowing and skipping. This would fit in a lot better with my workout programme of weights mon, weds, fri

Thanks

[Eileen]

As long as it hits all the muscle groups, it will work. I used to do taekwondo as a depletion, and then do a couple of sets of press-ups after it.

[Shinault]

So im new to this keto diet read and read but im still unsure as to what i should be doing im 5'11 220 plenty of muscle little extra fat i want to loose so can some one pleas help me with this diet i have pro 5 protien ...2g carbs ...1g sugar...32g protein...
im 18 lookin for a quick reply going to the store in about an hour please any help?

also how much running and lifting should i be doing a day

[jessiesgirl]

Eileen -
Question about coconut milk and butter on Keto.
I want to know how you view the Medium chained fats in the diet; I love the unsweetened coconut milks (in coffee, or in my whey shakes) and I also like using coconut oil and organic shredded coconuts as tasty fats. Is there a limit to how much (maybe, percentage wise) of my fats daily fats in CKD should come from these or are 'all fats created equal'?

Also, I have noticed that most keto peeps are staying away from soy milks. They have such good fats though and they make the diet much more verstile. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Nutritional info for Unsweetened coconut milk below. Thanks.
Nutrition Facts
Servings Size 1 cup (240mL)
Servings Per Container 8

Amount Per Servings

Calories 50 Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Values*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 5g† 25%

Trans Fat 0g


Cholesterol 0g 0%

Sodium 15mg 1%
Potassium 65mg 2%

Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugar 0g


Protein1g

• Vitamin A 10% • Vitamin C 0%

• Calcium 10% • Iron 4%
• Vitamin D 30% • Folate 6%
• Vitamin b12 50% • Magnesium 10%
• Zinc 4% • Selenium 8%

†Comprised of 65% medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs)

INGREDIENTS: Coconut Cream (Water, Coconut, Guar Gum), Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D-2, L-Selenomethionine (Selenium), Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12.

[Eileen]

I'm a fan of coconut oil, and think we should all be eating more of it. I'm a bit worried about your coconut milk, it seems to have a lot of ingredients in it besides coconut.

I've nothing against soy milk, but I think a lot of the guys are worried it will shrivel up their bits.

[jessiesgirl]

I'm a fan of coconut oil, and think we should all be eating more of it. I'm a bit worried about your coconut milk, it seems to have a lot of ingredients in it besides coconut.

I've nothing against soy milk, but I think a lot of the guys are worried it will shrivel up their bits.

LOL, yes, I have read that about soy and testosterone production in males. Lucky for me I don't worry much about it. I should mention that coconut milk was supposed to be 'organic'. I will lean more toward the organic shredded unsweetened and the oils though. Thank yOU!

[Eileen]

The New York study was seriously flawed. There was one guy in it who was obviously coming off an AAS cycle, and during the course of the study, his testosterone levels returned to normal, but the drop was enough to skew the results for the whole group. No-one else had a significant change in T levels.

[Justlivinglife]

not to sound like a noob but could someone tell me what this Keto diet is? and is it used for bulking or loosing pure fat. thanks guys

[Eileen]

Keto is high fat, moderate protein, low carb. It's most effect for cutting (a lot of the pros use it to lean out before competitions) but can be used for keto bulks. Most effective for people who have a lot of fat to lose, people with insulin issues (often older), or with food issues.

A healthy 18 year old can probably lose weight on any diet, but it has to be said, Keto is one of the tastier cutting diets.

[csquared]

im 5'9 224 around 20% bf and started keto about a week ago. im getting about 2100 cal 130 g fat 190 g protein and ~30 g carbs. ive been hitting weights 5x a week with cardio 4x times for 30-45 min. my question is this, the past few days my urine has smelled like whatever i have eaten last... is that a sign of ketosis or anything else?

[Eileen]

Urine does tend to smell stronger in ketosis. but other things can have that affect too. Have you spend more time than usual peeing, and have you dropped weight?

[csquared]

only more frequently due to consuming more water and my weight fluctuates usually between 222-225 each day

[jimmypop13]

Eileen, can you please help me get my diet set up correctly. I just found out I've been WAY off.

Six weeks ago I started a diet using daily cardio, lifting 4 days a week, and a keto diet.
I've lost 23 lbs so far and I know some of it was muscle now because I wasn't on a very good keto diet.
I was told to calculate my lean body mass and eat that in grams of protein. I weigh 230lbs at the moment and according to my calipers and the calculations I got from Scivation, I'm 28% bodyfat and around 165 lbs lean body mass.
Well I've been eating that much protein a day split up in 5 meals but I was only eating around 15g fat at each meal with carbs coming from greens(broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, salad) and whatever carbs are in natural peanut butter.
Well I just added all that up and it was pretty much half the fat I should have been eating and I'm guessing around 1300cals a day.
Using the 165g protein I was told to eat since I have 165 lbs lean mass, I plugged that into the 65/30/5 and got:

2200 calories
30% protein = 165g = 660 cal
65% fat = 158g = 1430 cal
5% carbs = 27g = 110 cal

I thought on keto though, that you don't want over 20g carbs so does that means I should lower my calories so 5% carbs equal 20g and adjust the protein and fat grams accordingly?

Also, since I've been eating only 1300 calories the past 6 weeks, how do I get to the correct calories and still continue losing weight? I know I was in ketosis the first 4 weeks because my breathe and urine smelled horrible. But for the past two weeks, I guess being so off on my diet caught up to me because the smell went away. I'm guessing my body was converting a lot more of my protein to energy and not using fats for fuel anymore, I'm not sure.

I want to get between 190-200 lbs in the next 3 months. I've been doing an hour of cardio first thing in the morning, normally the first 15 minutes are HIIT while the rest is LI. In the afternoon, I'm doing another 30 minutes LI, and I work out at night for 50-60 minutes and then do cardio for for 30 minutes LI. On non-workout nights, I do 50-60 minutes LI cardio.

Please help!
Thank you
-Chris

[Eileen]

Relax, the different between 20g and 27g of carbs is not significant. If the extra carbs are green veg, it's definitely not a problem.

If you are 28% bodyfat, then your body is probably using keto as a sort of Weight Loss Honeymoon. It's using it to help you drop fat faster than you normally could. By guided by your body. If you are really not hungry, then don't force yourself to eat.

A lot of people find that in the first few weeks, they can drop calories much lower than they expected, and still feel fine. After that, they start to get a bit more hungry and have to raise them to the normal keto range. Trust your body, it's not going to let you starve to death.

As long as you are lifting well, you are not losing muscle. You are losing so fast because your calories are low and you are doing a lot of cardio.

Your numbers are fine. Base your meals on eggs, oily fish, rib steak, lamb chops, cheap ground beef, chicken thighs, lots of green veg, salad with olive oil dressing, a little cheese or nuts to fill the corners, and eat to hunger.

[Mavrick.Rus]

Tell pls, how to cope with hunger on keto?

[Eileen]

You shouldn't have much hunger on keto, unless you are very close to target and are doing extreme cutting for a competition. In which case, it's the same as any other diet, think of the gold and ignore the hunger.

One of the advantages of keto over most diets is you feel less hunger for the same calories.

[jimmypop13]

Relax, the different between 20g and 27g of carbs is not significant. If the extra carbs are green veg, it's definitely not a problem.

If you are 28% bodyfat, then your body is probably using keto as a sort of Weight Loss Honeymoon. It's using it to help you drop fat faster than you normally could. By guided by your body. If you are really not hungry, then don't force yourself to eat.

A lot of people find that in the first few weeks, they can drop calories much lower than they expected, and still feel fine. After that, they start to get a bit more hungry and have to raise them to the normal keto range. Trust your body, it's not going to let you starve to death.

As long as you are lifting well, you are not losing muscle. You are losing so fast because your calories are low and you are doing a lot of cardio.

Your numbers are fine. Base your meals on eggs, oily fish, rib steak, lamb chops, cheap ground beef, chicken thighs, lots of green veg, salad with olive oil dressing, a little cheese or nuts to fill the corners, and eat to hunger.

Thank you!

I've been eating ground beef, fish, eggs, chicken breasts, natty pb, evoo, and greens mostly. Ill have to start getting more types of meat now that i know more fat is okay.
What kind of cheeses are okay? I thought dairy was a no because of the sugar content.
So do you think i should slowly work my fat content up from where its at to continue losing weight and keep up energy?
Also, when you need to cut calories on this diet, do you only cut fat or do you cut across the board to keep the 65/30/5 ratio?
Thanks again!
-Chris

[stranger1982]

Was in starbucks tonight and got a filter coffee with a dollop of whipped cream.
But I asked them to put in sugar free hazlenut syrup in it.

Is this ok on keto? Or will it knock me totally out.

Thanks in advance.

janine

[jimmypop13]

Getting my ratios correct got me back in ketosis yesterday! The smell came back and i was fairly tired all day. Today energy feels good though.
I was gonna go work legs last night but about an hour before, i ate a meal of crab meat and coconut oil that i got from the cooking oil isle at the local grocery store. Well one of the two made my stomach start to hurt so i didnt make it to the gym. The coconut oil was really cheap and just says pure coconut oil so went ahead and decided just to cook with that and order some cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil off amazon.com.

[csquared]

another question.... what supplements would you recommend taking/not taking in order to enhance further fat loss while on keto?

[Eileen]

The basics: good multi-vit, fish oil, maybe some extra vit C, maybe a cal/mag. Whey after lifting, creatine optional. ECA if you are preparing for a contest.

[csquared]

i've read that fasted cardio the morning after a carb up is the best way to get back into ketosis, is this true or are there other more effective ways?

[Perfectcero]

Hey Eileen,

I've decided to go on the Steak and Eggs keto diet I just have a few questions if you know anything about it?

Is it true I don't need a carb up for that diet?

No PWO Nutrition?

I plan on eating 10-12 eggs + 1/2 lb Steak + 1/2 lb Ground beef

What's the best steak cut to get?

Is it true I shouldn't cardio while I am on that diet?

[Eileen]

These are all "Your Milage May Vary" things. See what works for you. If there aren't many people who do keto long term, there are ever fewer to do S&E long enough to be able to give useful information.

Take careful notes of what you do and how it works, then tell us.

A lot of S&E people do seem to take a small whey shake after lifting. Your choice.

[forgot password]

A recap of the basics

- Keto is high fat, moderate protein and low carb. 65% fat, 35% protein, 5% carbs.

lol this is 105%, but its fine because you should be giving 110% while on this diet

[Curumo]

lol this is 105%, but its fine because you should be giving 110% while on this diet

day 19 on keto - lost about 5.5-6 kg

I want to start also taking low-carb 30g whey protein after the workout...

[just1spark]

A question for the experts...

I ran 2-3 miles this morning fasted Got back home and ate the following wrapped in a lettuce leaf then hit the gym to lift...

- 1 lean turkey burger
- 2 poached whole eggs
- 1 tsp of spicy brown mustard

Afterwards, I blended 2 scoops of whey protein with ice and ate an apple. I'll be eating 0 carbs for the rest of the day with the exception of...

- 2-3 cups of veggies (broccoli, collard greens)
- 2 more scoops of whey, 4g carbs
- 1 cup of cottage cheese, 10g carbs

That's 14 carbs excluding the veggies. Add that to the 20-25 carbs in the apple and i'm at a range of 35-40g. I'm planning on eating 1 apple every other day PWO.

Now my question is how will the apple effect ketosis?

[Eileen]

Badly. Find a different source of PWO carbs. Apples contain fructose, which has to be broken down by your liver before it can spike insulin or be used to replenish muscle glycogen. And if your liver is low on glycogen, because you are in ketosis, it will appropriate the fructose to refill glycogen and stop ketosis.

It's for that reason that you eat fruit at the start of a carb-up, to get you out of ketosis. A very simple sugar like glucose/dextrose can bypass the liver and go directly to the muscles if necessary.

[just1spark]

Badly. Find a different source of PWO carbs. Apples contain fructose, which has to be broken down by your liver before it can spike insulin or be used to replenish muscle glycogen. And if your liver is low on glycogen, because you are in ketosis, it will appropriate the fructose to refill glycogen and stop ketosis.

It's for that reason that you eat fruit at the start of a carb-up, to get you out of ketosis. A very simple sugar like glucose/dextrose can bypass the liver and go directly to the muscles if necessary.

Thanks Eileen.

[jessiesgirl]

Hey Elieen or others -

Question about Sugar free products, or products containing sugar alcohols.

Example: 4 sugar free jolly ranchers is 35 cals, and 16 total carb. 15 of these carbs from from *sugar alcohols according to the label. I have seen people track these in FitDay or FatSecret as only 1 carb. How does that work? I tried searching around and found many articles on it being diabetic friendly and not spking the blood sugars but I want to know it's impact on Keto itself.

I would love to be able to have some sugar free items in my diet ...while I realize this is probably not reccommened to go over board, I wanted to know if this would bump me out of keto.
According to the back of this package, it says the dietary exchange is .5 carbohydrate.

Thoughts on this?
There are sugar free reeses cups, and chocolates that I would love to have as treat every now and then...
Just wondering where the whole sugar free thing fits into keto.

Thanks!